Im making a Protean Bloodline Sorceror, and I was wondering if you can use Persistent Spell on Bloodline powers. As far as I have seen bloodline powers do not have the same levels as the normal spells, so how does the +2 to the spell level work?

For those who don't know it offhand:

Persistent Spell (Metamagic)

You can modify a spell to become more tenacious when its targets resist its effect.
Benefit: Whenever a creature targeted by a persistent spell or within its area succeeds on its saving throw against the spell, it must make another saving throw against the effect. If a creature fails this second saving throw, it suffers the full effects of the spell, as if it had failed its first saving throw.

Level Increase: +2 (a persistent spell uses up a spell slot two levels higher than the spell’s actual level.) Spells that do not require a saving throw to resist or lessen the spell’s effect do not benefit from this feat.

So my main reason for asking, with the protean bloodline you get this power:

Protoplasm (Sp): At 1st level, you can create a ball of entropic protoplasm and hurl it at targets within 30 feet. This protoplasm acts as a tanglefoot bag that also inflicts 1 point of acid damage per round to a creature entangled by it. The protoplasm dissolves within 1d3 rounds. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

So I wanted to know if this power will be effected by Persistent Spell.

1 Answer
1

Metamagic effects (like Persistent Spell) only work on spells, but the Protoplasm ability is a spell-like ability – that’s what the “(Sp)” means after the name. SLAs are not the same, and cannot be affected by metamagic.

Metamagic-like effects for spell-like abilities do exist occasionally, at least in 3.5. They tend to be more of the form “X times per day, you can apply some metamagic effect to a spell-like ability” since spell-like abilities don’t use leveled slots the way spells do.

I do not know if any “Persistent Spell-like Ability” feat exists in Pathfinder; you might ask your DM to houserule one if you like, though. For what it’s worth, I suggest that a +2 spell level metamagic effect like Persistent Spell should be usable ~3 times per day as a meta-SLA.